Finley's

NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

Finley's

Source: Family Records or genealogies of the first settlers of Passaic Valley and Vicinity above Chatham, with their ancestors and descendants, as far as could be ascertained in 1851. By John Littell, 1851.

JAMES FINLEY.

JAMES FINLEY emigrated from Scotland; he lived some years at Princeton, and last at Basking Ridge, where he died; he had children: (2d Generation.)

1. James, who became a physician, and lived in Western New York.

2. Robert, who graduated at Princeton College; studied theology, and was ordained and installed in the ministry at Basking Ridge. He married Esther Caldwell, the 5th child of the Rev. James Caldwell, of Revolutionary memory.

3. Anne, who married Charles Morford, of Princeton; lived at Basking Ridge in 1810, and subsequently removed to Illinois.

4. Alexander was a carpenter and cabinet-maker; lived at Basking Ridge. He married Susan Whitaker, eldest daughter of Stephen Whitaker. [See Whitaker.]

REV. ROBERT FINLEY, (son of James,) and Esther Caldwell, had children: (3d Generation.)

1. Mary L. who married John R. Davison, only child of Peter Davison, of Basking Ridge.

2. Helen Smith married James Cammack; lived in Georgia; he died about 1846; had three children: 1. James Cammack; 2. Thomas Cammack; 3. Margaret Cammack. Two had died previous to his death.

3. James C., who became a preacher of the Methodist denomination; married Margaret Smith, daughter of Doct. Smith, of Cincinnati, and had children: 1. Helen; 2. William; 3. a daughter.

4. Robert S. married Julia Robins, of Kentucky; lived at St. Louis, Missouri, several years; edited the Liberia Advocate, five years at St. Louis, and removed thence to New York, and continues that publication. He is a Presbyterian minister, and was installed over the church at Metuchen, the 4th of November, 1850, by the presbytery of Elizabethtown; he had no children.

5. Josiah was licensed to preach the gospel; went to Liberia, Africa, as a missionary, and soon died there by violence.

6. Anne, who died at about 35 years, unmarried.

7. John married Miss Fox, of Mississippi; both died, leaving one child, Mary Anne.

8. Susan married William Brown, Esq., a lawyer of Illinois; had children: 1. Mary Brown; 2. Anne Brown.

9. Hannah married and lives in Illinois.

MARY L. FINLEY, and John R. Davison, had children: (4th Generation.)

1. Robert, who died at 23 years.

2. Anne Mariah.

3. John.

4. James, who died at 23 years.

5. Frederick Josiah.

6. Mary, who died at 20 years.

7. Helen, who died at 2 years.

8. William, who died at 4 years.

9. George, who died at 5 years.

10. Edward; 11. Julia; 12. Robert.

ANNE FINLEY, (daughter of James Finley, Sen.,) and Charles Morford, had children:

1. Margaret Morford.

2. Mary Anne Morford.

3. James Morford.

ALEXANDER FINLEY, (4th child of James Finley,) and Susan Whitaker, lived at Basking Ridge, and had children:

1. Anne, who married Elisha Whitaker, son of Samuel, of Newark. [See Whitaker.]

2. Hetty.

3. Robert, who married and went to Cincinnati.

4. Mariah married Samuel Hall, son of Richard; lived in Newark. [See Hall.]

5. Eliza married Rev. David McKinney, D. D., lived in Pennsylvania; has children living; 1. Jane, who married Henry Floyd, has a son Thomas Floyd; 2. Susan McKinney; 3. Isaac McKinney, born Nov. 1828, is principal of the academy in Lafayette, East Alabama; 4. Alexander; 5. Anna McKinney married James Bailey, had one child, Anna Bailey, and died; 6. William McKinney; 7. David McKinney.

6. Sophia.

7. Jane, who died a young woman.

8. Susan married Elias Beam, of Newark, and died, leaving children: 1. Alexander Finley Beam; 2. Julia Brownlee Beam; 3. Frederick Betts Beam; 4. Helen Amanda Beam

9. Alexander married Elizabeth, daughter of John Tuttle, of Newark, and went to St. Louis, Missouri, and had children: 1. Isaac Baldwin; 2. Josephine lives with the Rev. R. S. Finley, of Metuchen, New Jersey; 3. Anna Whitaker; 4. John Tuttle.

10. Stephen Hervy.

11. Cornelia married Frederick Betts, of Pennsylvania.

12. Sarah.

13. Helen married Mr. Hurxthal; lives in Clearfield county, Pennsylvania.

NOTE.--The Rev. James Caldwell, the father of Esther, the wife of the Rev. Robert Finley, D. D., was shot by a soldier standing as a sentinel at Elizabethtown Point, the 24th November, 1781. (The sentinel was hung for the act.) He was a Presbyterian minister at Elizabethtown. His family resided at Connecticut Farms, (now Union.) His wife, Hannah, was shot, the 25th of June, 1780, by one of a party of British passing through that place to Springfield, leaving nine children, who were all taken up to Chatham, to the house of Stephen Day, Esq., whose wife was a sister of Mrs. Caldwell, where David O. Day now lives. [See Stephen Day.]

The nine children of Mr. Caldwell were.

1. Margaret, who married Isaac Canfield, of Morristown.

2. Hannah married James R. Smith, merchant, of New York.

3. John Edwards was taken by the Marquis Lafayette to France.

4. James B. was many years a judge of the court of Gloucester county, and died in Woodbury.

5. Esther married the Rev. Robert Finley, D. D., of Basking Ridge.

6. Josiah F. was many years in the Post Office department at Washington.

7. Elias was some years clerk of the United States Supreme Court.

8. Sarah married the Rev. John S. Vredenburg, many years pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church at Somerville.

9. Mariah married Robert S. Robertson, merchant, of New York.